Featured CUMC Newsroom: Hearing Disorders Study

Dr. Anil K. Lalwani and Dr. Jeffrey W. Kysar

Dr. Anil K. Lalwani and Dr. Jeffrey W. Kysar have been tirelessly working on the best way to treat disorders like hearing loss, balance problems, and numerous other genetic conditions. Columbia University Medical Center has published a feature story about this open clinical trial.

Currently, cochlear implants are the commonly used prosthetic devices that have been shown to improve the hearing, vocalization, mood, and overall quality of life in patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss refractory to hearing aids. In recent years, the human round window membrane has become increasingly utilized as a pathway for electrode placement. To reach this delicate membrane located directly behind the eardrum, embedded in a wall of bone, and deliver medicine directly into the inner ear a needle device is needed.

The use of this needle device into the window membrane avoids traumatic disruption of the cochlea’s bony walls, along with the significant risk of hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction that comes with it. Based on recent the creation of a needle device for membrane perforation the Department of Otolaryngology has an open clinical study investigating the success of a single needle perforation.

To enroll in this trial please contact Research Coordinator, Dylan Cawley at 212-305-2873.